Umbilical Cord Could Be New Source of Plentiful Stem Cells

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217102258.htm

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2009) — Stem cells that could one day provide therapeutic options for muscle and bone disorders can be easily harvested from the tissue of the umbilical cord, just as the blood that goes through it provides precursor cells to treat some blood disorders, said University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in the online version of the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/cp-iit092809.php

Public release date: 1-Oct-2009
Contact: Cathleen Genova
Cell Press
It's in the bank: Human cord blood reprogrammed into embryonic-like stem cells

Human umbilical cord blood cells may be far more versatile than previous research has indicated. Two independent studies, published by Cell Press in the October 2nd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, report that they have successfully reprogrammed human umbilical cord blood cells into cells with properties similar to human embryonic stem cells. The results are significant as they identify cord blood as a convenient source for generating cells with a theoretically limitless potential.